Camus Haut lies on the eastern edge of the mining basin, near Annay, Pont-à-Vendin and Harnes, where the canalised Deûle carries barges north towards Lille. The label refers to one of the many mining sites and cités of the area, and while the exact spot is hard to identify from a distance, the landscape tells you what kind of place it is: brick housing estates, old pit heads, spoil heaps going green, and the wide, flat horizon of the Gohelle.
A few kilometres to the south lie the sites of the Courrières mining disaster. On 10 March 1906, an explosion tore through the galleries of the Compagnie des mines de Courrières, killing more than a thousand miners, the worst mining catastrophe in European history. Twenty days later, thirteen survivors emerged after wandering through the dark galleries, an event that made headlines around the world. The disaster triggered strikes and led to reforms in mine safety, and rescue teams from Germany who came to help were remembered as an early example of international solidarity. A memorial and a mass grave in Méricourt commemorate the victims. Harnes, the nearest larger town, has a museum dedicated to the history of the school and to mining life, and the area has several other museums and heritage trails about coal and the people who extracted it. The towns are modest, often with high unemployment since the mines closed, but with a strong community spirit.
The riding here is practical rather than scenic. Roads connect towns through suburbs and industrial zones, and traffic can be heavy, especially near the A21 motorway and around Lens and Hénin-Beaumont. The towpaths and roads along the Deûle canal are quieter, and watching a heavily laden barge slide by is an unexpected pleasure.
The weather is typical of northern France: grey skies, frequent drizzle, sudden bright spells, and wind. In summer the long evenings are pleasant, and the green slopes of the terrils glow in the late sun.
Harnes and Pont-à-Vendin have fuel, shops and bakeries. For food, look for a friterie, a chip stand, which in the north is an institution. Ask for a fricadelle with your frites, and sit on a bench to watch the town go by.